Many types of electrochemical cells utilize a liquid ionically conductive medium to support electrochemical reactions within the cell. For example, a metal-air electrochemical cell system may comprise one or more cells, each having a fuel electrode serving as an anode at which metal fuel is oxidized, and an air breathing oxidant electrode at which oxygen from ambient air is reduced. The liquid ionically conductive medium in such cells may communicate the oxidized/reduced ions between the electrodes.
In some electrochemical cell systems, various gasses may evolve during the charging and/or discharging of the cell. Such gasses may be harmful to the cell, and may damage or impede performance of the cell. For example, in some cases the cell may be harmed due to the evolved gasses increasing pressure within a confined area in the cell. In some cases, the cell (and potentially its surroundings) may be harmed due to the evolution of a potentially volatile gas or combination of gasses. As such, some electrochemical cells are configured to disperse such gasses by including vents therein, so that gasses may escape into the ambient environment. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/566,948, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, discloses a membrane gas vent configured to disperse gases out of an electrochemical cell. As another example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/666,864, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, discloses a hydrophilic gas vent configured to disperse gases out of an electrochemical cell. Other electrochemical cells may be configured with pressure relief valves, which are typically closed, however open when the pressure within the cell exceeds a threshold amount.
In some electrochemical cell systems comprising liquid electrolytes, various gases evolved may entrain small amounts of liquid electrolyte therein and the cell (and potentially its surroundings) may be harmed due to the evolution of the resulting mist, aerosol or spray. The present application endeavors to provide an effective and improved way of capturing mists or aerosols created by the generation of gas bubbles within a volume of liquid electrolyte in an electrochemical cell and returning the liquid portion of the mist back to the main volume of the liquid electrolyte while dispersing the gas portion of the mist into the ambient environment.